Jelle Hoste, born on June 24, 1995, in Roeselare, Belgium. He is renowned as a professional athlete in the sport of CrossFit. Since 2024 he made the bold decision to temporarily set aside his senior IT consultant role at Delaware. This in order to pursue his goal to be the best version of himself.

With a lifelong affinity for sports, Jelle’s athletic journey began with soccer, fitness, and running, but it was judo that captured his heart. For over 14 years, he immersed himself in judo, achieving national titles and representing his country while pursuing his studies Applied Informatics.

In 2016, Jelle discovered CrossFit when a new box, “CrossFit Kortrijk,” arrived in town. Curiosity turned into passion as he quickly embraced the sport and entered his first competition within a month. Although the results may not have met his expectations, this experience ignited a fierce desire to continuously improve his strength, speed, and overall fitness.

Despite starting CrossFit at the age of 21, which some might consider late, Jelle embraced the challenge with enthusiasm. Having already experienced demanding training routines in other sports, he quickly adapted to the intensity of CrossFit. Initially, he focused on mastering the movements, immersing himself in competitions, and improving his mobility.

Jelle’s competitive nature drove him to participate in various events in the Benelux region, where he achieved notable victories. In 2019, he made a significant breakthrough by clinching second place in the RX category at the prestigious French Throwdown. This achievement solidified his commitment to the sport. However, his momentum was abruptly disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

With the absence of competitions, he transformed his attic into a training space, refusing to let the circumstances hinder his progress. After almost two years of relentless dedication, Jelle reached a peak moment at Madrid Championships, the most significant competition of his career so far. Approaching the event without expectations, Jelle gave it his all and, against professional athletes, secured an third-place finish after three days of intense battles.

And so, the journey continued. The main goal was snagging that CrossFit Games ticket. Jelle knew the toughest part would be the quarter finals qualification process. Seeing his results improve each year, in 2022, he cut down his work hours to focus more on CrossFit. That year, he aimed for the semifinals, but a submission issue with the online scoring ended his season abruptly. After processing the mistake, he shifted focus to offseason comps (have look at the results page) and getting ready for the next season.

In 2023, things finally clicked. Jelle made it to the Semis (European championships), finishing 4th with three event wins and a new world record. This exceeded his hopes, securing his spot at the CrossFit Games with a BANG.

He carried that momentum into the CrossFit Games week. He was able to win the 5K cross country run. Finish some more events in the top 5 and clinched the 10th spot in his rookie year. According to the stats, it was the standout rookie performance of 2024.